Dino Wines

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Yule Kim

Yule Kim
A group organized by Bob Semon (including Maureen N., Cole K., Cristian D., Jonathan L., Gail G., and others) met at Dino in order to try out some aged Vajra, '96 Barolos, and a smattering of rieslings...including an '01 Donnhoff we all hoped could age. I didn't take notes, so I'm hoping others who attended will chime in. My palate got struck down by the hammer of Bacchus midway through the night (and by some pickled green beans), and wines began to blur a little.

Rieslings:

'01 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg Spatlese: Not bad, but it had this rather pervasive apple note on the finish that I didn't care for.

'01 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese: Beautiful and elegant. A lot more focused than the von Schubert. Everything was in the right place. My favortie white. Seems to be aging well.

'00 Vajra Langhe Bianco: A riesling made in an "Austrian" style, it was a little stark upon opening, especially after the Spatleses. Dry, mineral goodness. But, at the end of the night, opened up and some fruit helped buffer some of the stark dryness.

Token Red Jura:

'08 Gahier Trousseau Grand Vergers: Funky, weird, and interesting. Seemed almost screechingly acidic to me, but I don't have the most disorderly of palates. I liked, but didn't have a lot. Needs food.

Vajra Lineup:

'00 Dolcetto d'Alba Coste & Fossati: Tasty. Well worth the tariff.

'00 Barbera d'Asti Superiore: Showed very well. Elegant. Seemed like WOTN for
most people (not me, though I liked it a lot)

'07 Barbera d'Asti Superiore: I actually preferred the younger Barbera. I was in the minority, I think.

'96 Kye: Corked. Bummer.

'06 Kye: Tannic and rustic. I liked this a lot. Reminded me of nebbiolo. Too bad the '96 was corked. It would have been interesting to taste firsthand whether freisa nebbiolizes.

Token Red Burgundy:

'99 R. Chevillon NSG Cailles: Seemed a little off. People were debating whether this wine was corked (we decided it was not). A little clipped on the finish. Maybe just awkward and young? It opened up later in the night. Probably needs to slumber.

'96 Barolos:

'96 Brezza Barolo Castellero. The most forward of the Barolos with this interesting ashy component. But still plenty tannic. Obviously very young. No need to hurry.

'96 Cappellano Barolo Gabutti Otin Fiorin Franco: Tannins, tannins everywhere, and all the boreds did shrink. Tannins, tannins everywhere, nor any drop to drink. Kidding. I actually liked this quite a bit even if it is a mouthful of drying tannins. But nothing that a little T-I-M-E won't cure.

'96 Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole: Elegant (noticing this to be a typical Vajra characteristic). Obviously, still young and could use more time. But still, lovely.

Dessert Wines:

'06 Vajra Moscato d'Asti: Bright, fresh, and vibrant (to me). Effervescent and refreshing.

'89 Roberto Anselmi Recioto di Soave I Capitelli: Unctuous and syrupy. Someone compared it to butterscotch. Not cloying or saccharine at all and it was interesting. BUT, I don't think I'm much of a dessert wine person, so I can't really judge it on its merits.

Arneis Dessert Wine (Forgot the vintage and producer): Similar to the Soave (unctuous, sweet, and intense). Well made. Not cloying, but the texture got to me. But, like I said, I'm not a dessert wine guy usually, so I can't judge.

In Sum:

Great wines. Even better company. '96 Barolos need more time (surprise, surprise). Vajra ages well except when corked. Donnhoff seems to handle age (at least up to age 10). And softshell crabs are tops.
 
Ahh, Dino, those were the days... Sounds like a good group.

'01 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg Spatlese: Not bad, but it had this rather pervasive apple note on the finish that I didn't care for..
Click to expand...

I usually don't pick nits over tasting note descriptors but was the apple note more of a brown cidery thing or more of a crunchy green apple thing? I'm also not a fan of the brown apple flavors but I often get tart green flavors in Grunhaus which I find divine.
 
more corked Kye....as the late thor iverson may have pointed out, i think it is endemic with that wine in particular from Vajra, maybe more specifically that vintage. Strange.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:

Dessert Wines:

'89 Soave Dessert Wine: I forgot who the producer was. Unctuous and syrupy. Someone compared it to butterscotch. It was interesting, though I don't think I'm much of a dessert wine person, so I can't really judge.
Click to expand...

This was Roberto Anselmi Recioto di Soave I Capitelli 1989. And it was in great form, light and lively and not to my taste syrupy in the way that poorly made older dessert wines can get syrupy.

And the NSG was weird but according to she who waits it got better (but those who know her MO know she almost always says this about Burgundy from producers she likes) and the 00 Barbera got worse and I will try the 07 again tonight to see what it's like 24 hours later.

And thanks to Bob (and the absent Dino) and all those who attended for a fine evening.

Cole
 
The Gahier was the 08 Grand Vergers. Caveat Emptor, I brought this wine and I like Juras. I didn't find it acidic at all, though it certainly stood out as different. It went oddly well with both my leek risotto and my soft shell crabs. The barolos did better, unsurprisingly, with the risotto.

I never thought the Chevillon was anything but odd and I did go back to it at the end of the evening.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Ahh, Dino, those were the days... Sounds like a good group.

'01 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg Spatlese: Not bad, but it had this rather pervasive apple note on the finish that I didn't care for..
Click to expand...

I usually don't pick nits over tasting note descriptors but was the apple note more of a brown cidery thing or more of a crunchy green apple thing? I'm also not a fan of the brown apple flavors but I often get tart green flavors in Grunhaus which I find divine.
Click to expand...

You hit it on the nose. Crunchy, tart green apple thing. Interesting to know that is a typical Grunhaus (assuming both Herrenberg and Abtsberg?) trait.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
The Gahier was the 08 Grand Vergers. Caveat Emptor, I brought this wine and I like Juras. I didn't find it acidic at all, though it certainly stood out as different. It went oddly well with both my leek risotto and my soft shell crabs. The barolos did better, unsurprisingly, with the risotto.

I never thought the Chevillon was anything but odd and I did go back to it at the end of the evening.
Click to expand...

I had some of the 08 Grand Vergers last night: very nice, would have been better without the brett.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
You hit it on the nose. Crunchy, tart green apple thing. Interesting to know that is a typical Grunhaus (assuming both Herrenberg and Abtsberg?) trait.
Click to expand...

I've found it in both. I'm sure some of the more technically-minded can enlighten us about the source. I always assumed it was something related to the acidity and moderate ripeness/yields (I've found it most prominent in the kabinett, sometimes in spatlese).

Herbal freshness is of course a standard element of riesling, but Grunhaus does put its own stamp on the flavors. Terroir anyone. But if you didn't like it, do you like other rieslings?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Yule Kim:
You hit it on the nose. Crunchy, tart green apple thing. Interesting to know that is a typical Grunhaus (assuming both Herrenberg and Abtsberg?) trait.
Click to expand...

I've found it in both. I'm sure some of the more technically-minded can enlighten us about the source. I always assumed it was something related to the acidity and moderate ripeness/yields (I've found it most prominent in the kabinett, sometimes in spatlese).

Herbal freshness is of course a standard element of riesling, but Grunhaus does put its own stamp on the flavors. Terroir anyone. But if you didn't like it, do you like other rieslings?
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I like most rieslings...though I think they can be hit or miss. There was just something a little too obtrusive about this particular green tart note. Also, I was picking nits. The Grunhaus was good (I just thought the Donnhoff was better).
 
the chevillon was not at all attractive and I thought at first it might be a tiny bit corked. After awhile, I dismissed that idea but still found it impenetrable. Later, the fruit opened up a tiny bit - emphasis on tiny and it was relative - indicating to me that the rest of my bottles of this wine need more time. Whether the taint that seemed to dance around this wine was specific to this bottle or is applicable to the wine, I don't know. It only got "better" in the sense that some fruit poked its head out and obscured the taint to a degree.

Fact is, most burgundies do indeed get better with time in glass - not odd at all and I think most burg drinkers agree with that. Just because certain people are too impatient to appreciate burgundy doesn't mean I'm wrong about that.
 
From that night, I think I realized that I like rieslings on the younger side - but anyway, I have way too little experience with them.

The 1996 Cappellano needed al the 24 hours to soften up a bit. I enjoyed it more the night after, though it was still fairly shut down. Definitely hold if you have them. I would do the same with the 96 Vajra, though it was definitely more approachable and enjoyable than the Cappellano on this night.

And to conclude, everything from Vajra (except for the corked Kye) was wonderful. It definitely made me rethink and cellar a few Dolcettos and Barberas.

Thanks Bob and all the company!
 
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